Director SS Rajamouli marked Mahesh Babu’s 51st birthday by unveiling two striking stills of him as Rudhra from Varanasi, shot in Africa around Mount Kilimanjaro and the Maasai Mara. The rugged, bearded look set against wild savannah landscapes teases the epic scale of the IMAX-shot film, which co-stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran and releases worldwide on April 7, 2027.
SS Rajamouli released two character stills of Mahesh Babu as Rudhra from Varanasi on August 9, on the occasion of the actor's 51st birthday. The images, shot during the film's Africa schedule, show Mahesh Babu with a thick beard and a rugged appearance against the backdrop of African wilderness and native animals.
In his post, the acclaimed director wrote, "Fierce isn't his only shade... RUDHRA in #Varanasi."
One of the character images shows Mahesh Babu reclined on a bamboo raft in a jungle setting, dressed in a loose olive-toned shirt and dark cargo trousers, with his hair in loose curls and a full beard. The second image shows him in profile against the African savannah, with giraffes and zebras visible in the background.
According to Rajamouli, the images, captured during the film's Africa schedule, were shot at locations around Mount Kilimanjaro and the Maasai Mara. The director added that the location provided a dimension to the shoot that could not have been replicated on a set.
Varanasi is set across thousands of years and multiple locations, including Antarctica, with the plot centering on the city of Varanasi facing an asteroid. It stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Mandakini, Mahesh Babu as Rudhra and Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist Kumbha.
In July, the makers of the film had revealed Chopra's first look as Mandakini, on the occasion of her birthday. The images offered a glimpse of her fierce and feisty avatar Mandakini, styled in an all-black look.
A few weeks prior to Chopra's first look reveal, at the RRR release event at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, Rajamouli shared that the film's large-scale action sequences have been completed and the team is now working on the smaller scenes, which are scheduled to be completed in 80 days.
When asked about the film’s ongoing production, Rajamouli explained, "My producer is right there; he wouldn’t let me reveal too much. All I can say right now is that we have finished the major action spectacle portions of the film, and we just have the small scenes, which we'll shoot for 80 days, and then we will wrap."
Earlier this year, Rajamouli also confirmed that Varanasi will release as a single film with a runtime of approximately three hours, setting aside earlier speculation about a two-part format. Varanasi is set to release worldwide on April 7, 2027.